


the last place i'd expect to find you

by changingshadows



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Elemental Magic, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Magical Realism, Mirrors, Protectiveness, Smoking, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:01:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28822623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/changingshadows/pseuds/changingshadows
Relationships: Hirai Momo/Minatozaki Sana, Im Nayeon/Park Jisoo | Jihyo, Myoui Mina/Yoo Jeongyeon
Comments: 19
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

Another long night.

Mina tilts her head towards the digital clock on her bedside table: _01:34._ "Fuck," she mutters to herself, rubbing her face before resting her arms on the top of her head. To her right, her bed is waiting with open arms; it's like Mina can hear it calling her name. But Mina knows she needs to get this work done or otherwise her boss will give her a hard time for it.

 _'A splash of water should do the trick,'_ she thinks, before standing up and heading to her en-suite.

Standing in front of her sink, Mina turns on the tap and breathes in deeply. Splashing her face with ice cold water (in the hopes it'll jolt her awake), she turns off the tap and wipes her face with her towel.

When she takes it away, she gets the fright of her life.

"Did I scare you? I'm so sorry."

Mina thinks she's going insane. She presses a hand to the mirror in front of her. "Of course you scared me. Now what the _fuck_ are you doing in my mirror, Jeongyeon?"

Jeongyeon sighs and rests her hand on the glass where Mina's is. "Wouldn't you like to know." Her olive eyes are now a pale moss. Mina shudders lightly as Jeongyeon stares directly at her. "It's been a _long_ fucking week, Minari."

Hearing that nickname, Mina takes her hand away from the glass. She brings her voice down to a barely audible whisper, "What happened?"

"Nothing, quite frankly. But anything to stop me from using my powers..."

"So you've been trapped in a mirror for no good reason?" Mina asks, folding her arms in disbelief.

"It's for no good reason to you, no good reason to me. Nay isn't all too happy." Jeongyeon says the name and Mina straightens her back. "She's trying to fix it."

"Sounds like Nayeon," Mina breathes out. Tilting her head to the side, Jeongyeon lifts an eyebrow and it catches Mina's attention. "What? I know she and I haven't always been on the same page..."

"Same page? Lucky if you two are in the same book," Jeongyeon says, picking at her nails. Mina's arms fall by her side in an almost defensive manner and Jeongyeon chuckles. "But seriously, she is. And it's not working. I've just been living in mirrors for the past seven days."

"Why didn't you bring this to my attention sooner?" Mina questions.

"'Cause I've been spending six of those seven days in Nayeon's apartment with her in my ear complaining about how unfair this is and how we must try _every_ plan in the book!"

"What letter did she stop at?"

"S. Which is actually a record for her, usually she'd stop at Plan F and call it a day."

They share a laugh, and then it's like the icy cold water catches up to Mina as she's suddenly slapped in the face with the fact that Jeongyeon is in a mirror and has been for the past _week._

Oh yeah, and Jeongyeon is now trapped in a fucking _mirror._

"So what are we gonna do about this then?" Mina rests her hands on the counter.

"What is there _to_ do, Mina? I reckon we just wait until I'm let out, which granted could take a while..."

"Jeongyeon!" Mina speaks up.

"What? Listen, I just don't wanna have to sit through letters T-Z, thanks." Jeongyeon shakes her head at the thought of having to sit through more of Nayeon's _master-planning._

Folding her arms once more, Mina shifts her weight onto one leg and pouts curiously. Jeongyeon catches Mina's expression and gazes at her in a way that indicates she's waiting for the question to be asked, because no doubt Mina wants to ask _something._

And she does. "Who actually trapped you in the mirror?"

A sigh escapes Jeongyeon. "Isn't it obvious?"

It takes two split seconds. "Jihyo."

"Correct, you've won the grand prize."

"Why though?" Mina asks, her suspicion increasing.

"If you need to ask why _Jihyo_ \- miss Fire Queen 3000 - feels the need to trap people in mirrors over nothing then I will take back the grand prize, you go home with nothing," Jeongyeon declares. Mina can't help but stare, her sapphire eyes sparkling against the light and showing a distaste for Jeongyeon's antics. "What else did you expect? Remember when she trapped Chae in a mirror for three days because she accidentally, repeat, _accidentally_ spilled water over her candles, putting them out?"

"Okay, sure, but...something about this is off to me. If you say nothing happened..."

"Which it didn't."

"Then Jihyo trapping you in a mirror makes no sense. Why is she trying to stop you from using your powers if you've done nothing with said powers?"

The question makes Jeongyeon think. "To be honest... I haven't got that far." Rolling her eyes, Mina shifts her weight to the other leg. "What? This just seems very Jihyo to me."

"Maybe, but you also said Nayeon's trying to fix it, right?" Jeongyeon nods. "Now I know I said that sounds like Nayeon, and to be fair, it does, but why would she go to these lengths if she _truly_ didn't think there was something going on?"

"You've stumped me now, I had it all figured out!" Jeongyeon complains.

"Well, forgive me if I think there's something more to this."

"Hey, if it means even on the most _baseline_ level you and Nayeon are thinking alike, I'll take it!" Mina rolls her eyes - again - and groans a little. "I can't wait to see the others' faces when they hear this," Jeongyeon says, smiling all too proudly.

"Of course you can't," Mina deadpans. "Speaking of the others, how do they feel about this?"

"Much the same as Nay, though not to the same extent. They just think it's kinda odd."

"And you _don't?"_ Mina still can't believe Jeongyeon is writing this off as just another case of Jihyo _doing what she usually does._

"Look I'm not a fucking mind-reader, okay? I have no idea! Though I do know a mind-reader, he's pretty co--"

"Jeongyeon," Mina interjects, wishing she would take this the least bit seriously. They stare at one another for a few seconds and Jeongyeon exhales. "We need to find out what's going on. Something's off about this, and if the others are feeling the same way and aren't just laughing in your face about it--"

"Chae did for like three hours."

Mina waves her hands around. "Whatever, if the others are feeling this way about it too, something's clearly wrong."

"If you say so."

"Let me put it this way: a week is long, even for Jihyo."

 _That_ truly stumps Jeongyeon. The two of them look at one another. "You better talk to Nay, then."

Mina exhales. She and Nayeon really didn't see eye to eye a lot of the time.

But if Jeongyeon doesn't wanna hear letters T-Z, Mina figures she might as well hear letters A-S. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you wanna know what their hair is for this story, think the cry for me teasers, plus i can't stop me hair for jeong

**1 WEEK AGO**

“Listen, I’m trying here! Um, have _you_ ever tried to rip tape off a wall and not leave shit behind? Give me a break,” Chaeyoung’s voice sounds throughout the entire house.

Jihyo passes by Chaeyoung and Dahyun’s bedroom and steps inside to see the blonde staring at the freshly painted wall with a phone in one hand pressed firmly to her ear and a paintbrush in the other. “What do you mean _it depends on the tape you use?”_

Jihyo looks at the tape in question on the floor and sighs loudly. Chaeyoung turns at the sound and rolls her eyes, thinking Jihyo’s just as annoyed as her.

“Um, Chae?” Jihyo lifts a brow.

“Oh my God, wait a minute, Dub!” Chaeyoung says before pulling the phone away from her ear. “What?”

“You used duct tape on the wall.” Jihyo’s voice is remarkably calm. “That’s why there’s shit left behind. You’re supposed to use painter’s tape.”

For a few seconds, Chaeyoung just stares at Jihyo. Then she turns to the duct tape on the floor, then at the wall in front of her. Sticky residue covers the surface where she had tried to painstakingly tear the tape off. She turns back to Jihyo and quietly says, “Painter’s tape?” The embarrassment radiates off her. A light roll of the eyes comes her way before Jihyo turns her back and leaves the room.

 _“Did you use duct tape on my bedroom wall? I’ll lift you off the ground!”_ Dahyun shouts on the other end and Chaeyoung bites her bottom lip.

“It’s all under control!” Chaeyoung says optimistically, plastering on a smile and reassuring the now vexed Dahyun that everything is in order. “Listen, okay, I’ve got it all under control, you don’t need to worry! I’ll sort it out! See you later, love you, bye!” Chaeyoung quickly ends the call and throws the phone onto her bed before huffing.

Staring at the wall again, she tries to figure out how she’s going to get this residue off _without_ completely ruining it.

Jihyo heads downstairs and it doesn’t take long before she hears another voice.

“Not in the mood for your shit today,” Sana groans, tilting her head back on the sofa.

“When _are_ you?” Momo asks, looking down at her.

“Who was the one who threw _daisies_ at me to try and prove a point?”

“You threw it back in my face anyway. Who needs scented candles when you know someone who can just chuck the literal thing back at you with a gust of wind?”

“Do I need to stick a wall of fire between you two or something?” Jihyo asks as she saunters into the room.

“No! Then the daisies I throw would get burnt!” Momo immediately says, looking up at Jihyo.

“Is _that_ all you’ve been doing with your vast array of powers? Throwing daisies at Sana?”

“Nah, it was hyacinths the other day,” Sana jests; Momo nudges her and gets a glare thrown back at her.

Jihyo looks at the two of them, unable to comprehend what got them to this point. “Will you please sort out whatever it is you need to sort out? If I need to use so much as a single _spark_ to get you two to stop bickering then I will not be very happy.”

“Ask the woman of the hour,” Sana simply says, before standing up and leaving the room. Momo tuts and shakes her head before pulling a cigarette out from behind her ear and stepping out onto the small balcony.

Jihyo watches Sana leave before glancing over at Momo. She joins her on the small balcony and sees her put the cigarette between her lips. Momo reaches into the back pocket of her jeans and mutters, _shit,_ before Jihyo lifts her hand and prepares to click her fingers. Noticing this, Momo holds the tube in place and Jihyo makes a tiny flame, just to light the end. Momo inhales and takes it out, thanking her. Resting her arms on the balustrade, Momo looks into the evening sky and exhales.

“What happened, eh?” Jihyo tilts her head to the side.

Shaking her head, Momo takes another hit and hums. “Too much and also...not enough.”

“What do you mean?”

Turning her head to look at Jihyo, Momo tugs at her bottom lip. “LIke Sana said, ask the woman of the hour.” She turns back to the evening sky and takes another hit.

Jihyo knows what they mean by _the woman of the hour._

Trouble is, they don’t see enough of her.

“What has she got to do with this?” Jihyo folds her arms; if it concerns _her,_ then it must be big.

Momo thinks. Looks ahead of her. Takes another drag. “She heard something. She said that to others. Word got to me. Sana denied it.” Despite only having smoked half of the cigarette, Momo pushes it into the ashtray attached to the balustrade and spares Jihyo a sad smile before entering the house again.

Somehow, it clicks within seconds. Jihyo sighs then looks at the despondent woman as she sits on the sofa.

Out of nowhere, they hear a yell. Jihyo runs into the house. Momo jumps up from the sofa. Sana sprints into the living room. They know who it’s coming from. “Tzu? You okay?” Sana wonders.

“Damn it, I burned my flowers again!” Tzuyu shouts.

“Momo…” Jihyo begins.

Momo nods, “I got it. Hold on, Tzu, I’m coming!” She heads upstairs and into Tzuyu’s room to help her.

“Having multiple powers is difficult,” Sana laments, folding her arms. Jihyo nods in agreement, then looks over at Sana. Their eyes meet. “What?”

"Momo may or may not have hinted at what happened." A sigh escapes Sana as she turns her back. "I don't wanna get in between you two. I suggest you sort it out before it gets worse."

Jihyo heads into the kitchen, leaving Sana to stand still for a few seconds and ponder Jihyo's words before she leaves the living room again.

The front door opens and Dahyun ambles into the apartment, phone pressed to her ear. "What do you mean you're not coming over for dinner?"

 _"I'm really sorry to bail out last minute, but I have some overdue work that needs doing. I promise I'll come over next Sunday!"_ Mina says down the phone. Dahyun can already tell it's a false promise but she smiles anyway.

"We miss you, Minari. We haven't seen you in so long!" Dahyun looks up at Jihyo, who gives her a little smile as she starts preparing dinner.

_"I know, I miss you too. I promise I will make time!"_

"Okay… We'll see you soon. Take care!"

 _"Bye, Dub."_ Dahyun hears a _click_ at the other end and huffs. Kicking off her shoes, she locks her phone and puts it down on the kitchen counter.

"Mina can't come?" Jihyo asks.

"No… More work she needs to complete," Dahyun pouts as she takes off her coat and puts it on the rack. "Now, where is she? There's a certain someone I need to get mad at for sticking duct tape to the wall."

As if on cue, Chaeyoung appears in the living room and smiles widely at Dahyun, who fixes her an ice cold stare. "Hey, Dahyun! How are you? Good to see you, how was work?"

"You put duct tape on my bedroom wall."

"And it's all fixed now! All better, I managed to get it all off."

Lifting an eyebrow, Dahyun's silvery eyes meet Chaeyoung's aqua ones as they stand in the lounge and stare at one another for a good few seconds. Jihyo lifts her head and sees the two of them before saying, "Come on, you two, help me make dinner."

The staring contest goes on for a little while longer before Dahyun pivots on the spot and walks into the kitchen, Chaeyoung on her tail taking a deep breath.

Not long after, Momo and Tzuyu come downstairs and into the lounge to see Dahyun. "Hey, Dub," Tzuyu greets.

"Hey, Tzu. Hey, Mo."

"Evening, Dahyun." Momo takes a seat on one of the stools at the breakfast bar and rests her elbows on the counter. "Will Mina be joining us?"

"Not this week. And probably not next week either," Dahyun announces.

"Aw," Chaeyoung juts out her bottom lip in disappointment. "And Jeongyeon?"

"We know her, she'll be late," Momo rolls her eyes a little.

Jihyo's eyes flicker away from the chopping board for a brief second, before her eyes turn back to it and she continues cutting up vegetables.

"And Nay?" Tzuyu pipes up.

The room falls silent. Nayeon. _The woman of the hour._

"Yeah, the chances of us seeing Nayeon are small," Sana says as she enters the living room from her bedroom.

"Don't we know it," Dahyun exhales.

"Who knows? She might surprise us," Tzuyu says.

"Unlikely, though we appreciate the optimism," Momo quips a bit.

"And even if she _did_ show up, she'd never stay for dinner," Chaeyoung chuckles.

"Nayeon through and through that," Jihyo derides. The sudden shift in demeanor makes everyone look at her.

"You alright, Ji?" Momo wonders.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm… I'm fine, I'll uh…" She quickly wipes her hands with a towel. "Be back in a minute." Within seconds she's upstairs. The rest of them watch her go, a little bewildered.

"Is she okay?" Sana questions.

"I don't know, that was a very sharp shift in mood," Dahyun points out.

"I'll go see if she's alright," Chaeyoung says, leaving the kitchen behind and going upstairs.

In the bathroom, Jihyo shuts and locks the door and turns to face the mirror. "You can come out now."

A figure suddenly appears, wearing the strongest look of disapproval Jihyo had ever seen. "I can't believe you, Ji."

"I'm doing this for you," Jihyo mutters, aware there are five others in the apartment.

Jeongyeon, with her arms folded, raises both eyebrows in surprise at what she thinks is a _ridiculous_ statement. "For me? You know typically when you do things like this, you have a reason but you've just trapped me in here for nothing!"

"Jeongyeon…"

"You know Nayeon is annoyed at you for this right? She wants me to transport to one of _her_ mirrors so we can talk about this."

"If she has something to say, why doesn't she come see me herself?" Jihyo asks, straightening her back.

"Because when _you_ talk it's like fighting fire with fire but... literally."

"Listen, I don't--"

Unexpectedly, there's a knock at the door. "Jihyo? You okay?" Chaeyoung.

"Are _you_ gonna tell her? Or the rest of them for that matter?" Jeongyeon whispers.

Jihyo clenches her jaw then hears another knock. "I'm okay!" she manages to reply.

"You sure?" Chaeyoung sounds unconvinced.

"If you don't tell them, I'll just appear in another mirror. Your choice," Jeongyeon says.

Jihyo is left feeling stuck. Outside, Chaeyoung knits her brows together then says, "Wait a minute… Jeong, is that you? What are you doing in our bathroom?"

"Hint hint: there's a mirror in this bathroom!" Jeongyeon calls. Jihyo groans loudly.

Chaeyoung's eyes widen. "What? Oh my God! Jihyo, open this door!" she shouts a little too loudly, and the others downstairs exchange looks of confusion. Eventually, Jihyo opens the door.

“Hi, Chae.”

Chaeyoung’s jaw drops; she runs to the top of the stairs and shouts down to the others, “Guys! Come upstairs! Jeong’s in our bathroom mirror!” She sprints back to the bathroom and the rest of them are there in seconds.

“Thanks, Chaeyoung,” Jihyo grumbles. Folding her arms, Chaeyoung hides her lips as she tries to suppress a laugh. When the other four appear in the doorway, they’re shocked at first. Then amused.

Then puzzled.

“Um, what are you doing trapped in a mirror?” Sana questions, taking a step forward. “Though I must say, it’s been a while since we’ve seen someone in a mirror.”

“You’re asking me,” Jeongyeon replies, sparing Jihyo another look of disapproval.

“Wait, so Jihyo hasn’t told you why you’re in a mirror?” Momo asks, lifting a brow.

“Nope! Except that she’s _doing it for me.”_ Rolling her eyes, Jeongyeon folds her arms and huffs.

“Jihyo?” Dahyun’s eyes pan over to the woman in question, who turns her back for a few seconds and clasps a hand over her mouth. “What’s the reason?”

It takes a few seconds for Jihyo to answer, but when she does it satisfies no one. “I can’t tell you right now.”

“Of course,” Momo mutters.

Jihyo spins around and goes to say something but stops short at the sight of Sana and Jeongyeon following each other’s fingers from either side of the glass. They chuckle before they realise all eyes are on them and stop. “All I can say right now is that this is for Jeongyeon. I’m doing this for her. You’ll just have to trust me,” Jihyo explains, before leaving the bathroom and going downstairs to the bedroom she shares with Sana.

They all watch her go. “I wish she wasn’t so stubborn,” Dahyun deadpans.

“Don’t we all,” Jeongyeon concurs. All of them turn back to her.

“Did she give you a length of time?” Tzuyu speaks up.

“Er, no.” The five of them look even _more_ confused and Jeongyeon shrugs.

“Well, was it a sudden thing or did Jihyo just feel like putting you in a mirror?” Dahyun asks.

“How long ago did this happen as well?” Chaeyoung questions.

“A couple of hours ago. And to be honest, it was fairly sudden. She just sorta came to my apartment and was like, _I can’t explain why right now, but I need to trap you in a mirror._ Initially I thought she was joking, turns out she wasn’t!” Jeongyeon sighs.

“That’s so odd, and so unlike Jihyo,” Sana thinks.

“Really? This feels exactly like Jihyo,” notes Jeongyeon.

“Trapping people in mirrors? Yes. Doing it for seemingly no reason? No,” Momo corrects.

“It feels like there _is_ a reason though,” Tzuyu quietly points out. Dahyun looks at her and nods in agreement. Chaeyoung overhears and indicates she’s of the same mind.

“Look, Nay wants me to transport to one of the mirrors in her apartment so we can talk about it because she’s not happy,” Jeongyeon states.

“Nayeon knows?” Momo asks. Jeongyeon nods once. “How did she find out?”

“...She was there.”

This news shocks all of them. “You’re telling me Nayeon was at your apartment?” Sana questions, tilting her head to the side, a little frustrated all of a sudden.

“Yes, look, I know it’s been a while,” Jeongyeon holds her hands up. “But she came to my apartment for a little while to see how I was doing.”

“Oh, so she can make time to see you, but not us?” Momo scoffs in disbelief.

“She’s planning on it, okay? You know how busy she is!” Jeongyeon defends.

“Of course, she _is_ the woman of the hour,” Dahyun says a little sarcastically.

Jeongyeon exhales. “She isn’t the enemy, okay?” The room falls silent. “She just happened to be there when Jihyo showed up, though they didn’t say a word to one another.”

“Not surprised. She and Jihyo are fire times two! Double fire!” Chaeyoung points out.

“Nayeon was just left a little lost for words when she came back into the room to find me in the hallway mirror.”

“So...how are we gonna sort this out then?” Sana questions.

Jeongyeon shrugs. “No idea. I suppose I’ll just have to wait until Jihyo lets me out. Now if you’ll excuse me, the woman of the hour is expecting me. I’ll see you soon.” And just like that, she vanishes into a burst of green flames that shine a light into the bathroom for mere seconds before disappearing.

Putting her head in her hands, Momo groans a little before lifting it again and turning her back on the mirror. “I suppose we’re not gonna get an answer out of Jihyo.”

“Do you think we should tell Mina?” Tzuyu wonders.

Sana shakes her head, “Jihyo’s probably already told her.”

As they leave the bathroom, Dahyun turning off the light, Chaeyoung speaks, “This is so weird though, Jihyo usually always has a reason if she’s gonna do that.”

“Like the time you spilled water over her candles and she trapped you in mirrors for three days?” Dahyun lifts a brow.

“Yeah. And that was an accident!”

“I guess it’s just a matter of time, though if Nay’s unhappy and wants Jeong to go to her _apartment,_ she’s gonna do everything she can to fix it,” Momo reckons.

“Can’t argue with that prediction,” Sana sighs. They exchange a glance. It’s only a second where Sana’s cool grey eyes pierce into Momo’s teal orbs that Momo has to tear her gaze away. Sana faces forward again and they carry on walking.

_I suggest you sort it out before it gets worse._

Sana closes her eyes for a brief second. _‘It feels as though it’s gone too far. It_ has _gone too far.’_ She and Momo part ways as Dahyun and Chaeyoung head into the kitchen again to continue making dinner and Tzuyu goes into the living room to watch TV.

Soon after, Jihyo leaves her bedroom and joins the pair in the kitchen to help them. They don’t discuss the situation with Jeongyeon for the rest of the night.

Though Jihyo knows it’s not going to be the last time it gets brought up.

..

**THE NEXT DAY**

“She is _unbelievable!_ I can’t believe she would pull something like this, does she have _any_ idea what this does?” Nayeon almost screams at the top of her lungs. “I mean, leave it to _Jihyo_ to do something like this…” She scoffs and shakes her head as she paces back and forth in her bedroom.

“You know Ji has a track record for doing this, right?” Jeongyeon wonders; _‘it’s like Nayeon hasn’t seen Jihyo do this before.’_

“Yes! And I’ve never been happy with it!” Nayeon takes a seat on her bed and picks up her notepad. “I need to think of a plan to convince her to let you leave the mirror. She’s got no reason to put you in there, no reason that _I_ can see anyway.”

Rubbing her forehead, Jeongyeon exhales loudly.

“If she _did_ have a reason, she’d say so. _That’s_ what’s bugging me about this.” Nayeon stands up again. “Jihyo _always_ has a reason, even if it’s stupid. So either she’s just doing this for a laugh...or she’s hiding something.”

“Or she’s just being Miss Park Jihyo who actually, if you think about it, often doesn’t need a reason to trap people in mirrors.”

“One stubborn woman, she is,” Nayeon mutters under her breath.

“See, this is why we don’t put you in the same room,” Jeongyeon states. Nayeon’s eyes flicker up at the woman in the mirror, who smiles, earning her a groan and an eyeroll. Looking back down at the notepad, Nayeon reads through the plan she had written down and decides in the heat of the moment it’s not good enough and crosses it out. “Hey, I didn’t even get to hear that plan!”

“It wasn’t a good plan.”

“You said that about the last six plans.”

“And I’ve said it about the seventh one!” Nayeon jots down something else, then quickly crosses it out.

Jeongyeon sighs and stares at the wall in front of her; despite being behind a sheet of glass and in a seemingly open space, she’s still in an enclosed room of sorts. Every so often, she hears the clicking of Nayeon’s pen, and it sounds further away than it would be if she was in the bedroom, but it’s still annoying. “Nay?” The older woman glances up. “Could you not?”

“Sorry.” Nayeon stops. “I just need to know _why_ she might want to trap you in a mirror specifically. She hasn’t done it with anyone else so...why just you?”

“I probably did something six months ago and Jihyo’s suddenly remembered but at the time she chose not to do it yet after several months has decided she has enough pent up aggression about it that she’s put me in a mirror _now.”_

Nayeon considers this theory. “You know, I hate to say it but that sounds exactly like something Jihyo would do.” Jeongyeon chuckles. “Honestly, that sounds realistic.” Nayeon laughs a little and stares at her notepad again.

Once the laughter fades, Jeongyeon asks Nayeon a question. “Do you miss her?”

“Miss her? What do you mean? I see her from time to time,” Nayeon replies, seemingly confused by the question, though Jeongyeon can tell she knows the meaning. Looking up, Nayeon nods. “Yeah, I do.”

“She misses you too, Nay,” Jeongyeon confesses. “She won’t like the fact that I’ve said that, but she does.”

Slowly but surely, Nayeon feels tears begin to pool around her eyes. She quickly swallows them and says, “Let’s just try and figure this out, okay?”

Jeongyeon knows they’ll keep going round in circles.

She wonders if it’s just a distraction.

..

**PRESENT DAY**

Monday morning.

Mina sits up in bed and rubs her face. It’s still sitting in the back of her mind that in the early hours of that very same morning, she saw Jeongyeon in her bathroom mirror. She had left soon after to go back to her own apartment. Being trapped in mirrors means wherever she goes, she’ll always be stuck behind glass until Jihyo lets her out.

Mina wants to understand why. Which starts with going to the apartment and asking Jihyo herself.

Add to that the question of why it took Jeongyeon showing up in her bathroom for her to find out.

Climbing out of bed, she saunters into the en suite, still a little taken aback by the fact that Jeongyeon was there just hours ago, and gets ready for the day ahead. A short while later, she’s dressed in her work attire with her hair tied back in a ponytail and a little bit of makeup on. Grabbing her phone, the screen lights up showing her the time: _08:16._

“Let’s go. See you at lunch time, Jihyo.”

The journey to her place of work takes fifteen minutes by car, and she parks in her designated space before getting out and locking it. Heading into the building, she clocks in and goes upstairs to her office.

Immediately, she’s greeted by one of her co-workers; a good friend of hers. “Good morning.”

“Morning, Jinyoung.” Sitting beside him, she takes out her paperwork then logs into her computer. “Any early morning messages? Last minute meetings I need to know about?”

“You have to stay on at lunch for a quick ten minute meeting. Nothing major.”

“Good, ‘cause I need to head out at lunch to see a few friends.”

“Really? You haven’t seen them in so long,” Jinyoung makes a point of saying.

Mina stops for a few seconds. The reminder is a little punch to the gut. “I know. I’ve been incredibly busy these past few weeks. But this is urgent.”

“Let me guess. Jihyo’s trapped one of them in a mirror,” Jinyoung teases, but his face falls immediately once Mina looks at him with astonished eyes. “Wait, I was right?”

“Hit the nail on the head,” Mina says, a little startled.

“I suppose it wasn’t too hard to guess. Jihyo gets real mileage out of that power,” Jinyoung mumbles.

“You know her too well.” Mina stacks a few papers together and shuffles them so they’re straight before stapling the top left corner. Jinyoung’s eyes glimmer for a split second, his eyes a deep forest green. “But yes, she has. And I need to get to the bottom of it.”

“How long?”

“A week,” Mina answers, and Jinyoung draws his eyebrows together. “I know.”

“Well, I’ll try not to keep you for this meeting. If I can find out what it’s about in time, I’ll give you the cliff notes version so you can head off.”

“You’re an angel,” Mina smiles as she sits back in her chair.

Jinyoung stands up and returns the gesture as he passes by behind her. “Want a coffee?”

“Sounds marvellous.”

“No problem.” He goes to the kitchen to make the two of them a drink; Mina sighs.

Truthfully, she didn’t know when she was going to be able to see her friends again.

But like she’d said, this was urgent.

..

“So, are we gonna discuss the elephant in the room? Like, oh, I don’t know, the fact Jeongyeon’s been trapped in a mirror for the past _week?”_ Chaeyoung raises her voice to say.

“We’ve been trying to get an answer out of Jihyo. She’s said nothing,” Sana replies, shrugging her shoulders as she sits on the sofa.

“I got a message from Jeong by the way. Nayeon’s on plan W,” Dahyun announces upon walking into the living room.

“W? That’s a record,” Momo says, sitting on the other sofa.

“Look, I will tell you all in due time, okay? Just--” Jihyo starts, but is interrupted by a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it,” Tzuyu says, then jogs to the front door to open it. When she does, her jaw drops. “Minari!”

Upon hearing that name, everyone apart from Jihyo runs to the front door, all of them saying her name multiple times in excitement. Mina smiles - it _is_ nice to see them again.

But she’s here for a reason.

“Can I come in?”

“Sure!” Chaeyoung beams, opening the door so Mina can enter. When she does, she slips off her shoes and asks for Jihyo.

“I’m here,” Jihyo responds, stepping into the hallway. “How are you?”

“A little burnt out and...a little confused.” It takes a single second, but Jihyo doesn’t need to say anything. “Why did it take Jeongyeon showing up in my bathroom mirror for me to know she was trapped?”

All eyes turn to Jihyo. Sana speaks up. “You never told her.” It’s more of a statement than a question.

Jihyo locks eyes with Mina. She gestures towards the living room.

“Let’s talk, shall we?”


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm surprised you didn't go and talk to Nayeon first," Jihyo says, taking a hit of her cigarette before exhaling. The two of them are standing on the balcony with the door closed, the rest of them milling about in the house, waiting for an answer.

Mina does the same, tapping the end and letting the frayed bits fall into the ashtray. "I figured I'd come and see you first."

"Is that just your way of saying you don't wanna potentially start another argument with Nayeon?" Their eyes meet. Mina sighs and looks away. Jihyo follows suit. "I know. The two of us butt heads with her a lot."

"Also, I just wanted to know the answer from you so when I do go and see her, I have something to tell her."

Jihyo snaps her head to the left. "You _can't_ tell her."

Mina becomes frustrated. "Why not? You trap Jeongyeon in a mirror and leave her there for a week and not say a word to--" She indicates herself and Jihyo stares at the ground. "No… Come on, Jihyo, are you serious? Was this just your way of getting me to come and see you after so long?"

Lifting her head up, Jihyo immediately replies, "No! That's _not_ the reason."

"...Then what is it? All of us, well apart from Jeongyeon of course, know this is _not_ like you. And you were clearly waiting for me to arrive so don't bullshit me!" Mina points with her cigarette before taking another hit. "What's going on?" she raises her voice slightly.

There's a pause. Jihyo puts the tube between her lips, inhales slowly then takes it out and lets the smoke go. "We know Jeong well, right?" Mina listens attentively. Jihyo looks at her. "We know what she can be like." Another hit. "Despite her grounded nature, she can be reckless. She can make...rash decisions." Shutting her eyes, Mina tilts her head down before opening them again. "What you told me last week, something snapped." That sentence alone strikes a chord with Mina. She lifts her head and the cigarette slips through her fingers. "You know Jeongyeon will go to great lengths for those she cares about. And I knew, the _moment_ you told me anything, if word got to her she would do everything in her power to stop it, and she would get herself killed." Mina can see the tears welling up in her eyes and can't fight back her own. "We need to approach this calmly, you and I both know that. I know that's why you haven't been able to make time." She keeps her voice down for Mina's sake.

"But… Jihyo, this makes no sense!"

"If it doesn't make sense to you, you haven't realised yet."

The thought is fleeting yet Mina doesn't pay attention to it. "And I suppose you don't want me to tell Nayeon because…?"

Jihyo sighs. "You just can't tell her. Trust me, this is the only way. I know Nayeon like I know my own mind, that's why I haven't said anything to her myself."

"And the others?"

"That part is up to you. It's your choice when you want to tell them about it."

"I can't tell them without telling Jeongyeon and Nayeon. You know that."

"Yes, I do. Which is why Jeongyeon is in a mirror and I've waited until you found out about it. To be honest, I'm surprised it took an entire week."

"She told me she's spent most of the week in Nayeon's apartment figuring out a way to get you to let her out."

"Of course." Jihyo exhales.

Mina stares at her for a little while. "You're doing it again."

"Doing what?" Jihyo pushes the cigarette into the ashtray.

"Taking matters into your own hands! How many times have I said, I'm dealing with it and once I had a plan we would all sort this out together! You know, the nine of us?"

"But when it--" Jihyo stops herself.

 _"But when it,_ what?" Mina asks, folding her arms.

They lock eyes.

_'But when it comes to you, Jeongyeon would sacrifice her life.'_

"Has Jeongyeon never said?" Mina looks confused. "She's an idiot and you're oblivious." Those are the final words Jihyo says before going back into the house, stepping on the barely smoked cigarette along the way.

The first thing she sees upon entering are five pairs of eyes staring at her.

"Are you gonna tell us what's going on?" Momo asks, folding her arms.

"If you wanna know why, ask Mina," Jihyo replies abruptly. Mina stops in the doorway. There are perplexed looks on everybody's faces as they gaze at her.

 _"You_ have something to do with this?" Sana queries.

"Apparently," Mina exhales. Jihyo sighs and moves to press her back against the wall. "I can't say anything without Nayeon and Jeongyeon here. That's final." She stares into Jihyo's eyes, and the older woman falters.

Throwing her hands up in the air, Jihyo snaps, "Fine. Fine! You can tell them both, but I _can't_ let Jeongyeon out of that mirror, we know what she's like!"

Dahyun looks back and forth between the two of them. "Wait a minute. There's a reason aside from work you've been gone all this time," she directs at Mina.

"Very astute, Dahyun," Mina replies, not all too pleased with the current situation.

"And you're not gonna tell us without those two here?"

"Correct."

"Resolute as ever." Dahyun tilts her head to the side, bemused.

Jihyo's gold eyes shine against the light as she gazes at Mina, back straight with her arms folded. "Does this mean we're going to Nayeon's apartment together?"

Mina looks back at her. A knowing look.

"This should be fun!" Chaeyoung exclaims. Suddenly, Dahyun steps forward to whisper something in her ear and Chaeyoung's reply is immediate. "Incredibly obvious, like who _can't_ see it?"

Everyone turns to her. "What's that, Chae?" Momo lifts a brow.

"Nothing."

"Chae…" Jihyo says.

"Ah, well, it's only the fact that Dub and I have probably sussed this all out in 2.8 seconds."

"Sure you have. Right, let's go get this over with," Jihyo huffs, before they all leave the apartment behind to go to Nayeon's place.

Dahyun and Chaeyoung smirk at one another.

They have this all figured out.

..

"You've gone from A-Z, where do you go from here?" Jeongyeon asks, a little restless behind the glass. "You haven't even asked me for my opinion on letters G onwards!"

"None of them have been good, okay? Believe me," Nayeon sighs before taking a seat on her bed again. She's only sat for a few seconds before the doorbell rings.

Nayeon's head snaps up. Jeongyeon looks at her. "I wonder who that could be."

"No idea." She puts the notepad to one side and stands up to go and see who it is. The doorbell rings once more. "Alright! I'm coming!" Once she reaches the door, she opens it.

The sight before her is one to behold.

"Hey, Nayeon," Jihyo greets.

"What the…?" Nayeon mutters, staring at the seven women standing at her door.

"Hi, Nayeon!" Chaeyoung calls, waving her hand in the air.

"Hi, Chaeyoung… Um, what are you all doing here?"

"We've come to see you. And Jeongyeon," Jihyo answers.

"Why?" Nayeon asks.

"You wanna know why Jeongyeon has been trapped in a mirror for the past week?" Mina questions, and the two of them look at one another. A few seconds pass before Nayeon stands to the side and lets them all in. They kick off their shoes as Nayeon shuts the front door before she leads them all upstairs to her bedroom.

"God, it's been a while since we were last here," Sana comments.

"No kidding," Nayeon exhales. She goes into her bedroom, the others on her tail.

Jeongyeon watches all of them enter. "Holy fucking cow."

"Hey, Jeong," Momo greets her.

"H-Hi… What's going on?" Jeongyeon looks at Nayeon.

"They've come here to tell us what's going on and why you're trapped in a mirror," Nayeon explains. At that, Jeongyeon stands up.

Jihyo stands in one corner of the room, arms folded and nervous. Jeongyeon senses this and glances over at Jihyo, but she doesn't return the look.

Nayeon turns to face Mina, her hazel eyes staring directly at her. "Okay. Why is Jeongyeon trapped in a mirror?"

Mina swallows the lump in her throat. "I've been meaning to tell you all of this anyway, however I had no idea that Jihyo put Jeongyeon in the mirror. I had nothing to do with _that,_ but Jihyo…" She fails to explain.

Jihyo takes over, walking up to Nayeon and whispering to her, "We know what Jeongyeon's like."

The pieces seem to fall into place in seconds. Nayeon looks back up at Mina.

"Hello? I'm still trapped in a mirror and have no idea why!" Jeongyeon calls.

Mina sighs. "There's a reason I've been gone for so long. And it's not just work." Everyone looks at her. "They've been waiting to return." She gazes at Jeongyeon.

Jeongyeon, who knows who she means by _they._ "Wait…"

"And they're going to try again."

Through their eyes not enough is said, but Jeongyeon seems to understand in minutes why she's trapped behind a mirror. She almost punches the glass but knows that won't do anything besides crack Nayeon's mirror and cut her knuckles.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Sana says.

"That still doesn't explain why…" Momo begins, but Jihyo looks at her.

It's no wonder she shuts up _instantly_ seeing the glaze over Jihyo's golden eyes.

Everyone in the room seems to know, yet Mina still thinks it's absurd.

Jeongyeon wishes more than ever she could be in the real world right now.

..

"You know, after everything, I have to congratulate you on what a forward-thinking woman you are, Park," Momo states, resting her hands on the table in the restaurant.

Nayeon and Mina decided not to join them. Jeongyeon couldn't.

"Do you see why now?" Jihyo questions under her breath almost.

"Brilliant judgement on your part, Jihyo. Sorry we ever doubted you," says Sana.

"So when you two said you had it sussed out in 2.4 seconds or however long…?" Jihyo begins, looking at Dahyun and Chaeyoung.

"2. _8_ seconds, actually," the younger of the two corrects.

"Whatever, when you said you had it all figured out?"

"We knew the moment Mina had anything to do with it that you trapped Jeongyeon in a mirror because she's head over heels, Jeongyeon thinks it's just her being herself but it's _not_ and Mina doesn't quite realise because they've been a confusing mess for two years and have no idea what their feelings towards one another are," Dahyun explains.

"...Yes," Jihyo exhales. Tzuyu stares wide-eyed at them for a little while before turning to the pair opposite her for answers.

"It's been a ride," Momo states.

"A ridiculously long and needlessly complicated one," Sana adds.

"Speak for yourself," Chaeyoung mutters and Dahyun hides her lips to stop the teasing smirk from peeking through. Sana and Momo spare her a glance before facing away from each other.

"And despite Jeongyeon's grounded nature, she can be a pretty reckless person," Dahyun says.

"Yep. Used those exact words too," Jihyo notes.

"And Mina had nothing to do with trapping Jeongyeon in the mirror but… I guess something changed which made you trap Jeongyeon when you did?" Chaeyoung wonders.

Jihyo stares at them. "Do you wanna be lawyers or something?" The pair chuckle a little.

"So, let me get this straight," Tzuyu starts, and all eyes turn to look at her navy ones. "The reason why you trapped Jeongyeon in a mirror…is because she's in love with Mina?"

"Essentially," Sana replies.

"But more than that, Jeongyeon is one to go to great lengths for those she cares about. So if word got to Jeongyeon about any of this, she would stop at nothing - by _herself_ \- to deal with it, even if it got her killed," Jihyo explains.

"And add to _that_ the fact she's in love with Mina…" Tzuyu tilts her head to the side.

"Recipe for carnage," Momo finishes the sentence. Tzuyu sits back in her seat and hums.

"I did it for her own safety because I know her too well. Honestly, I was expecting Mina to find out about it sooner but we all now know why she didn't," says Jihyo.

"So...about this thing with Mina," Sana begins, "when she says they're willing to try again?"

"They're going all out this time."

"Fuck."

"And of course they're asking Mina because she's the only one who really knows anything about it," Momo mutters.

"It's dangerous, Mina knows this. She knows the risk, that's why she's been trying to deal with it behind the scenes," Jihyo says.

"What changed?" Chaeyoung questions.

Jihyo takes a deep breath in. Looks at all of them.

"They're coming _here_ for it."


	4. Chapter 4

_“You’re not gonna use her as a tool,” Mina condemns. “You_ do _know how dangerous this is.”_

_“Mina, we don’t want to use her as a tool. We just want the knowledge of how she acquired the magic of all four elements,” the leader of the council, Solji, explains._

_“And I’m not giving you that information. That’s final,” Mina fires back._

_“Mina, please, you think we want to know so we can rule the world but that is far from true,” says Solji._

_“I know why you want the information. You want it so you can pass it on to others.” Mina folds her arms. “I’ve told you, it’s too risky.”_

_“It’s a highly powerful and very useful tool,” Jaebeom, Solji’s right hand man, states._

_“Yeah, one that could get hundreds if not thousands of people killed!” Mina leans forward and rests her hand on the table._

_“Not if those people are trained correctly and master it properly,” Solji posits._

_“God…” Mina sits back in her chair, exhaling sharply. “You think that’s so easy, huh? You should know more than anyone how difficult it is to master_ one _element, let alone multiple!” She stares at Solji and sees her emerald eyes flicker against the light above her. “How long did it take you to master fire after mastering earth and then learn to use those elements separately? A few years wasn’t it?” She folds her arms again and crosses one leg over the other._

_Solji inhales deeply. “Mina, the more people learn how to use multiple elements efficiently, the easier it will become, the quicker they will master it and the less accidents we will have!”_

_“There is a_ reason _that there are only a handful of masters of more than one element in history. Because why? The mental exercise required was considered too much which is why it was dropped very soon after it started. I don’t think you’ve been reading your elemental magic history books recently,” Mina chastises and Solji straightens her back in annoyance. “I don’t care what you think. There is_ no _way you’re going to use Tzuyu as a tool for this. No way.” Standing up, Mina gave a curt bow of the head before taking her leave of the council._

_Once Mina leaves the room, Solji sits back in her chair and sighs. “I guess she leaves us no choice.” She turns to Jaebeom. “Move onto plan B.”_

..

“This is nuts! They can’t do this, Mina, you _know_ they can’t!” Nayeon almost shouts.

Mina sighs and rubs her forehead. Tzuyu stares down at her hands and picks at her nails.

It still freaks her out that a single click of her fingers could produce a water bubble, a flame, a gust of wind or a ball of dirt.

Jihyo looks at her and sighs, before putting an arm around her and rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. Tzuyu glances up at her and plasters on a smile. “It’ll be alright, Tzu,” Jihyo promises.

“You know, something told me they were gonna try coming here for it. Good to know I was proven _right,”_ Jeongyeon tuts. Her voice sounds distant.

The nine of them sit in the main household where they all once lived, but now only houses five of them. Chaeyoung had brought her free standing mirror downstairs and into the living room so Jeongyeon could join them.

Jihyo is _still_ adamant that she should stay in the mirror.

“Well, they’re persistent, I’ll give ‘em that,” Momo comments. The others give her a look and she says, “What?”

“Not the kind of _uplifting_ statement we need right now,” Sana says. Momo rolls her eyes a little.

Mina looks around the room. She had forgotten what it was like to sit in the same room with all eight of them.

She’s equal parts infuriated and feeling rather nostalgic.

Her eyes find the woman in the mirror. Jeongyeon looks back at her, and it takes a few seconds for Mina to tear her gaze away.

Dahyun doesn’t miss a beat. “We still have to deal with the fact that Jeong is presently in a mirror.”

“Very true, what are we gonna do about that?” Chaeyoung asks, though her tone conveys that she’s well aware of _why_ Jeongyeon is still there.

Unexpectedly, Tzuyu throws her hands up before she leaves the room. “Tzu?” Jihyo calls after her. The others watch her.

Stopping in the doorway, Tzuyu spins around. Today, her eyes are the colour of charcoal. “I didn’t even want these powers to begin with! I tried to ignore every time some people came up to me and said I was _destined_ to master that particular element. Suddenly, I have _four_ goddamn elements on my back and I don’t know how to deal with them! I can’t do something simple like water my flowers without burning them.” Their faces fall. “I can’t even master _one_ element, let alone four.” Their hearts break a little, understanding that Tzuyu is unaware of how dangerous and difficult mastering four elements is. “Maybe… Maybe it’s best if they just get the information they’re coming here for.” Tzuyu’s eyes begin to brim with tears and she leaves the room, then runs upstairs to her bedroom.

Immediately, Dahyun stands up and follows her, the others sighing as she leaves as well.

“Tzuyu thinks she needs to master all four of them?” Chaeyoung asks.

“I thought we already told her to only master one,” Sana says.

“We did, though I don’t think she took it as that,” Jeongyeon reckons. “I think she must believe that we were telling her to only master one before moving onto the next one. Do it one at a time.”

“As opposed to just doing one,” Nayeon sighs.

“I hope Dahyun has caught onto that and can explain that to her,” Jihyo prays.

Mina exhales. “I hope she has too.”

..

Dahyun knocks on the door. “Tzu?”

Lying on her bed, facing the wall, Tzuyu wipes her eyes but doesn’t answer. She hears another knock. Eventually, she sits up and says, “Come in.”

Opening the door, Dahyun greets Tzuyu with a warm smile before walking in and shutting it behind her. “Hey, you.” She takes a seat on the bed beside Tzuyu and nudges her gently. “You alright?”

A loud sigh escapes Tzuyu. “I don’t know, Dahyun. Having elemental magic is cool and all, I guess, but if I can’t even master one how the hell am I gonna master four?”

“You think you need to master all four?” Tzuyu looks at her and nods. “No, no, no... “ Dahyun shakes her head. Tzuyu draws her brows together. “You don’t. And honestly you shouldn’t, it’s highly advised against.”

“But, you all said…”

“We said to choose which element you wanted to master so by the time you did, you would just naturally forget about the others.” Tzuyu tilts her head to the side, still perplexed. “Let me explain. Hundreds of years ago when elemental magic was first being unearthed, the discoverers of such magic were amazed! You can do this,” she lifts her hand and it causes Tzuyu’s pillow to levitate - Tzuyu turns to look, “this,” she throws it into the air and it falls back down, “and _this?”_ Tzuyu turns around again to see Dahyun click her fingers, which causes a light breeze to wash over them for a brief second. “It was incredible! So, naturally, they wanted to learn how to do all of them at once and wanted as much knowledge as possible. They started off with one, and perfected it until they could do it without thinking. That took a lot of time, and plenty of skill and energy, both physical _and_ mental. That meant, by the time they moved onto the second element they wanted to learn, they found it was a lot harder to grasp because well, they had exhausted pretty much all their effort on learning just one.” Tzuyu processes the information and hums. “People _tried,_ holy hell they tried! And only a handful of people succeeded. But they quickly realised that trying to acquire the magic of two elements, let alone _four,_ was almost impossible. So they wrote down in all of their books that while having more than one element _will_ make you more powerful and it _is_ very useful, it’s not advised because then you’d have to mentally split your brain into multiple parts to accommodate each element.”

The full explanation takes Tzuyu aback. “So… That means I really _shouldn’t_ try to master all four?”

Dahyun shakes her head. “That’s why we told you to only master one. Which element did you say you were trying to master?”

“I don’t know, I’m stuck between water and air.”

“Well, not to be biased but uh…” Dahyun nudges Tzuyu with a smirk on her face. “Air’s a pretty cool element, just saying.” Tzuyu chuckles. “Sana will agree with me. Though Chaeyoung and Mina will beg to differ.” Dahyun rolls her eyes playfully then giggles.

The laughter then fades. “So that’s why it’s important that the council don’t get the information.”

“Exactly. Mina has said that they don’t want to use it for evil but...we don’t _truly_ know what their intentions are _or_ what they’ll do with it once they realise they have that knowledge.”

Tzuyu sighs. “I’m really sorry for what I said earlier. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I can make flames with my hands.” She clicks her fingers, but instead of getting a spark, water suddenly spills out over her hand. “Damn it.” She wipes her hand on her jeans.

Dahyun smiles. “It’s okay, honestly. We get why you’re annoyed. We don’t want them to use you as a tool and we know that’s not how you want to be used either.”

Tzuyu gazes at her. “No, I don’t,” she admits.

“Well then, let’s make sure they won’t do that.” Standing up, Dahyun holds out her hand and Tzuyu takes it, the two of them leaving the bedroom together.

When they return to the living room, all eyes turn to Tzuyu and she suddenly bursts into tears, apologising profusely. Everyone gets up to hug her, apart from Jeongyeon, who hugs herself in the mirror as a way to embrace Tzuyu, which makes the youngest of the nine smile.

“Right, shall we finally discuss how we’re going to do this?” Mina asks. Her eyes briefly flicker to Jeongyeon, then back to the coffee table.

Jeongyeon sighs. “Yeah, we can.” She turns to Jihyo, who looks back at her. “Once _you_ let me out of this mirror.”


	5. Chapter 5

“You’ve got some fucking nerve,” Jihyo says through gritted teeth as she shuts and locks the bathroom door and turns to the woman in the mirror.

“What? I think my request is perfectly and utterly reasonable. You’re the only one who can’t seem to see that though,” Jeongyeon fights back. Jihyo rolls her eyes and folds her arms. “Do I need to remind you you still haven’t told me why I’m even  _ in  _ this fucking mirror in the first place?”

Exhaling sharply, Jihyo turns her back for a brief second and shakes her head. Turning back, she says, “You’re  _ both  _ stupid.”

“Both?” Jeongyeon lifts an eyebrow.

“Oh my God, do I have to spell it out for you?”

“Perhaps you do because I don’t get it!” Jeongyeon shouts. Jihyo wills her to keep her voice down and Jeongyeon sighs loudly, exasperated. “I’m no good to you in this mirror. I might actually be able to help if I was, y’know, in the  _ real  _ world?” she says, like it’s the most obvious statement to make.

“I know what you’re like Jeongyeon,  _ that’s  _ why you’re in this mirror,” Jihyo states.

“You know what I’m like?” Jeongyeon asks, a little sarcastically, a little incredulously.

“Funnily enough, yeah, I do. Wanna know why you’re trapped in this mirror?” Jeongyeon nods vehemently. “It’s because you’re head over heels, okay?” she says, quietly.

Jeongyeon stares at her for a few seconds. “You… What?”

“You’re the type of person who’ll go to the ends of the earth - no pun intended - for the people you love, right? The people you care about?” Jeongyeon nods.

Then it makes sense.

“Wait, wait, wait a minute… You think that...?”

“Oh I don’t  _ think  _ they do. I  _ know  _ they do.” The stare is intense and unwavering.

Jeongyeon’s eyes flicker to the ground. Then back up to Jihyo. “They don’t.”

“You’re in denial.”

“No I’m not.”

“You seriously don’t think that your feelings for Mina affect the way you act when stuff like this happens? What did you tell me to do just now?”

“Let me out.”

“For Mina’s sake.”

“No, because I won’t be of any use to you inside a mirror!” Jeongyeon states.

Jihyo looks even more puzzled. “What are you trying to say? What, that you suddenly don’t have feelings for Mina anymore? That you’re  _ not  _ head over heels for her as you have been for the past three years?” Jeongyeon goes to speak but then stops. She swallows the lump in her throat. “Because let me tell you, Mina’s felt the same way about you all this time.”

Jeongyeon is quick to respond. “No, she hasn’t.”

_ More  _ confusion. “What makes you say that?”

“Not so much  _ what,  _ rather  _ who.”  _ Jihyo slowly unfolds her arms. Jeongyeon looks up at her. “Mina said herself that she didn’t.”

Stepping back a little, Jihyo runs a hand through her hair. The puzzled expression doesn’t leave her face. “Are you kidding?”

“No. And when she said it, she said it like it was ridiculous.  _ Ha, I don’t have feelings for Jeongyeon, what?  _ So, since then, I’ve been trying to suppress my own feelings. I don’t even know what they are anymore.”

“Um, undying love that you’ve been waiting to profess for three whole years? Much like Mina herself?” Jihyo asks.

“Mina doesn’t feel that way about me,” Jeongyeon insists, looking up at Jihyo. “And I don’t know if I feel that way about her anymore. So if you could  _ please  _ let me out of this mirror so I can be of use to you and the others, that would be great.”

Jihyo  _ knows  _ she’s going to regret this. She  _ knows  _ what’s going to happen. She’s seen it happen before.

But Jeongyeon is adamant.

So, Jihyo closes her eyes, puts her hands to the glass, and hums a specific tune. When she opens them again and turns around, Jeongyeon is beside her, her olive eyes piercing into Jihyo’s gold ones.

“Thank you,” is all she says, before she unlocks the door and leaves the bathroom.

Jihyo rests her back against the edge of the sink and puts her head in her hands. Tears begin to brim in her eyes.

“You  _ love  _ her, Jeongyeon. And Mina loves you too. And the moment you both realise that…” Jihyo is unable to finish as she looks up and wipes the fresh tears away.

Turning around, she rests her hands on the counter and stares at herself in the mirror.

Soon after, Nayeon appears in the doorway. “Quite the persuasive woman.”

“Very.” A light, humourless chuckle leaves both of them. Jihyo eyes Nayeon in the mirror. “She’s gonna get herself killed, Nay.”

Nayeon doesn’t know what to say at that moment, but knows Jihyo doesn’t need words. She steps forward and wraps an arm around the younger woman’s shoulder and pulls her close.

“We will make sure nothing happens,” Nayeon whispers.

“I sure fucking hope so, Nay.” Then, Jihyo looks up at the older woman. “Come home.”

Looking back down at Jihyo, Nayeon feels tears of her own well up in her eyes. “I want to, Ji.”

“You can. We miss you.  _ I  _ miss you.” There’s a pause as Jihyo takes Nayeon’s hand. “And I love you.”

Nayeon cups Jihyo’s face, then presses a kiss to her forehead. “I miss you too, Ji. And I love you too.”

No more words are spoken as they share a hug.

In the mirror, the fire forms an outline around their bodies.

..

Everyone stares at Jeongyeon as she appears in the doorway. A smile forms on the blonde woman’s face.

“Jeong!” Chaeyoung exclaims before running up to Jeongyeon and throwing her arms around her neck.

“Oh!” Jeongyeon returns the hug. “Good to see you all again.”

“Welcome back to the real world, how was mirror life?” Momo asks, leaning across the arm of the sofa.

“Not fun, wouldn’t recommend.”

“Though if Jihyo has anything to do with it…” Sana exhales. She and Momo exchange a knowing look before turning back to Jeongyeon.

“I’m just happy to be out again,” Jeongyeon sighs happily. She and Mina then lock eyes and share a small smile.

“It’s good to see you again,” Mina says.

“Glad to be back. Now I can actually be useful!” Jeongyeon moves to sit beside Dahyun, eager to get started on planning. There’s a few seconds of awkward silence as Dahyun, Chaeyoung, Tzuyu, Sana and Momo all spare one another a glance. “What?” Jeongyeon beams. Unaware, or in denial.

At that moment, Nayeon and Jihyo enter the living room together. Seeing the two of them calmly walk into the lounge is a little surprising, but it’s a pleasant one.

“I think, actually, we should have a break,” Nayeon suggests.

“True, let’s eat lunch. I need a cigarette,” Jihyo exhales, her eyes quickly panning to Jeongyeon before turning to the door to the small balcony.

“Same!” Chaeyoung says, standing up. Momo stretches and yawns before getting up to join them.

“Might as well,” Mina sighs. She stands and pulls her box of cigarettes out of her bag, along with her lighter.

“I’ll go get started on lunch,” Dahyun offers, heading to the kitchen.

“I’ll help!” Tzuyu immediately says, quickly following her.

“Coming,” Sana exhales, trailing behind.

Mina opens her box and gives a cigarette to Momo, Chaeyoung and Jihyo. She then points the box towards Nayeon, who shakes her head. “No thanks, I’m trying to quit.”

“Fair enough.” Mina puts a cigarette behind her ear then throws the box onto the floor before the four of them head out onto the balcony. She puts the tube between her lips then lights the end before doing the same for the other three, and they smoke in comfortable silence.

Jeongyeon moves to sit on one of the sofas and crosses one leg over the other.

Nayeon then sits beside her. “Jihyo’s let you out, I see,” she says.

“Yeah! I persuaded her to because I know I can’t do anything while in the mirror. It just makes sense to let me out.” Nayeon looks at Jeongyeon worriedly. Jeongyeon catches this. “What? It’s totally fine. I know why you’re all worried.” Nayeon sighs. “It won’t happen, I promise.”

“You’re walking a dangerous line, there,” Nayeon chuckles humourlessly. Jeongyeon tilts her head to the side, confused. They lock eyes once more. “Don’t make a promise you can’t keep.” Then, standing up, Nayeon leaves the living room and goes to the kitchen to help the others make lunch.

Jeongyeon looks towards the floor, then out the window at Mina.

_ What are you trying to say? What, that you suddenly don’t have feelings for Mina anymore? That you’re  _ not  _ head over heels for her as you have been for the past three years? _

A sigh escapes Jeongyeon.

_ ‘Oh, I am. I still very much am. And that hurts more than anything.’ _


	6. Notice

Hello everyone.

After much thought and consideration, I'm going to quit fanfiction writing.

After experiencing over a year of dire mental health and going back and forth over whether or not I should continue writing fanfiction, I have made the final decision to quit.

I am still undecided over whether or not to leave these works up or take them all down and delete my account.

2020 was not a good year for me and 2021 is not treating me much better. I won't go into details.

I just think it's a lot better if I stop writing.

Thank you everyone.

Take care.

changingshadows


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